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OpenCongress Summary

Would add 14 weeks to Tier I of federal extended unemployment benefits and make the extra weeks available retroactively to people who have exhausted all their benefits and are still unemployed.

OpenCongress bill summaries are written by OpenCongress editors and are entirely independent of Congress and the federal government. For the summary provided by Congress itself, via the Congressional Research Service, see the "Official Summary" below.

Official Summary

Emergency Unemployment Compensation Expansion Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the final date for entering a federal-state agreement under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through January 3, 2012. Postpones the termination of the program until June 9, 2012. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until January 4, 2012, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and June 10, 2012, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 to authorize a state by law to apply certain requirements of the Act, with specified substitutions, for determining an extended unemployment compensation period. Requires the state's \"on\" and \"off\" indicators to be based on its rate of insured unemployment and rate of total unemployment for the period between enactment of this Act (or, if later, the date established pursuant to state law), and ending on or before December 31, 2011. Revises the formula for making Tier-1 credits in an applicant's emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA) for a benefit year. Increases the figures in the formula (the lesser of which shall be the amount credited): (1) from 80% to 131% of the total amount of regular compensation (including dependents' allowances) payable to the individual during the benefit year; and (2) from 20 to 34 times the individual's average weekly benefit amount for the benefit year. Authorizes a state to elect to pay Tier-2 EUC before payment of an increased Tier-1 EUC until the state determines that such increased Tier-1 EUC may be paid without undue delay. Amends the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 to make a technical correction regarding the limitation on distributions relating to repeal of a continued dumping and subsidy offset. Requires that no payments be distributed under certain provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 with respect to entries of any goods that are: (1) unliquidated; (2) not in litigation; and (currently, or) (3) under an order of liquidation from the Department of Commerce. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through December 31, 2011, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service and for those with less than 10.

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